Play-(A)Lot

Park(ing) Day happens one day each year in cities across the country. Design firms, concerned citizens, and creative people looking to have some fun participate. Locus Partners debuted by taking over a parking spot on 20th Street in front of Clementine Montessori and built a Nature-Play space for kids, families, and the young-at-heart to enjoy. PLAY-(a)LOT was a temporary, mini oasis in Philadelphia demonstrating the importance of an everyday connection with Nature in the city. We designed and programmed the one-day urban intervention, then partnered with a design-build firm for materials sourcing and construction. The day of, we engaged Clementine Montessori to activate the space with their kids. They dug and built with sand, poured water down a sluice carved into a log, watched it cascade over a rock into a grassy canal. They weaved with colorful ribbons, stopped to smell the flowers, and chattered away the day. Plenty of grown-ups joined in the fun.